--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I occasionally laugh and tell him that…" description: "\"“I occasionally laugh and tell him that his imperturbability is worth three hundred milligrams of lithium a day to me, and it is probably true.”\" — Kay..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg" --- # I occasionally laugh and tell him that his… ![“I occasionally laugh and tell him that his imperturbability is worth three hundred milligrams of lithium a day to me, and it is probably true.” quote by Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg) > ““I occasionally laugh and tell him that his imperturbability is worth three hundred milligrams of lithium a day to me, and it is probably true.”” [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A comment on someone's calmness being as valuable as a strong medication for the speaker. **In simple terms:** Calmness is precious like medicine. Key Takeaway Appreciate steadiness in others. Themes mental health appreciation humor Mood reflective lighthearted Type observational personal When to use this quote - personal relationships - therapy - support groups - stress management Key Concepts psychology empathy value Questions to Reflect On - How does you value calmness in others? - What risks come from idealizing emotional stability? A Different Perspective Calmness may mask underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bipolar disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar-disorder/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Lithium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lithium/) ## Related quotes > [But then back on lithium and rotating on the planet at the same pace as everyone else, you find your credit is decimated, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/but-then-back-on-lithium-and-rotating-on-the-planet-at-the-same-pace/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I have often asked myself whether, given the choice, I would choose to have manic-depressive illness. If lithium were not available to me, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-have-often-asked-myself-whether-given-the-choice-i-would-choose-to/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Lithium remains the gold standard, but many drugs now treat bipolar disorder. Medication is critical and should be combined with psychotherapy. Compliance is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/lithium-remains-the-gold-standard-but-many-drugs-now-treat-bipolar/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Lithium prevents my seductive but disastrous highs, diminishes my depressions, clears out the wool and webbing from my disordered thinking, slows me down, gentles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/lithium-prevents-my-seductive-but-disastrous-highs-diminishes-my/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Art can play a major role. I look at art as an alternative source of energy, the same way we might look at wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/art-can-play-a-major-role-i-look-at-art-as-an-alternative-source-of/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [“Lithium regulates the proteins that control the body’s inner clock. This clock runs, oddly, on DNA, inside special neurons deep in the brain. Special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/lithium-regulates-the-proteins-that-control-the-body-s-inner-clock-2/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“How do you know? You said lithium didn’t work for some people. It’s not working for me!’ ‘Till the end of the month,’ Dr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-suzuma/how-do-you-know-you-said-lithium-didn-t-work-for-some-people-it-s-not/) [Tabitha Suzuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-suzuma/) > [The ideal protective layer for a lithium metal anode needs to be chemically stable to protect against the chemical reactions with the electrolyte and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/the-ideal-protective-layer-for-a-lithium-metal-anode-needs-to-be/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [Women who put on a few pounds after starting lithium sometimes say the cure is worse than the disease. The weight gain shoots them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-duke/women-who-put-on-a-few-pounds-after-starting-lithium-sometimes-say/) [Patty Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-duke/) > [It is definitely true that the fundamental enabling technology for electric cars is lithium-ion as a cell chemistry technology. In the absence of that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/it-is-definitely-true-that-the-fundamental-enabling-technology-for/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [Diazapam (that's valium), temazepam, lithium, ECT, HRT - how long must I stay on this stuff? Don't give me anymore!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/diazapam-that-s-valium-temazepam-lithium-ect-hrt-how-long-must-i-stay/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Lithium is like a beautiful lady, very much sought and pursued, especially in Bolivia. There is data indicating Bolivia has the largest reserves of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/lithium-is-like-a-beautiful-lady-very-much-sought-and-pursued/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [“As much as he hated his lithium, here it was his friend. Leonard could feel the huge tide of sadness waiting to rush over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/as-much-as-he-hated-his-lithium-here-it-was-his-friend-leonard-could/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“It's difficult. I take a low dose of lithium nightly. I take an antidepressant for my darkness because prayer isn't enough. My therapist hears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lovelace/it-s-difficult-i-take-a-low-dose-of-lithium-nightly-i-take-an/) [David Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lovelace/) > [“Lithium regulates the proteins that control the body’s inner clock. This clock runs, oddly, on DNA, inside special neurons deep in the brain. Special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/lithium-regulates-the-proteins-that-control-the-body-s-inner-clock/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) ## More by Kay Redfield Jamison > [ “...even though \[my psychiatrist\] understood mor than anyone how much I felt I was losing--in energy, vivacity, and originality--by taking medication, he never was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/even-though-my-psychiatrist-understood-mor-than-anyone-how-much-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-people-are-suicidal-their-thinking-is-paralyzed-their-options/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I think that for thousands of years people have made the observation that there are certain kinds of extreme depressive states that seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-think-that-for-thousands-of-years-people-have-made-the-observation/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Every seventeen minutes in America, someone commits suicide. Mostly, I have been impressed by how little value our society puts on saving the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/every-seventeen-minutes-in-america-someone-commits-suicide-mostly-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Mother, who has an absolute belief that it is not the cards that one is dealt in life, it is how one plays them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/mother-who-has-an-absolute-belief-that-it-is-not-the-cards-that-one/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [“I decided early in graduate school that I needed to do something about my moods. It quickly came down to a choice between seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-decided-early-in-graduate-school-that-i-needed-to-do-something/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [When I'm talking about depression, I'm talking about the more severe forms of depression, and I think that conceptualising as a form of grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-i-m-talking-about-depression-i-m-talking-about-the-more-severe/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [An ardent temperament makes one very vulnerable to dreamkillers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/an-ardent-temperament-makes-one-very-vulnerable-to-dreamkillers/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [the intensity, glory, and absolute assuredness if my mind's flight made it very difficult for me to believe once i was better, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/the-intensity-glory-and-absolute-assuredness-if-my-mind-s-flight-made/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I wish I could explain it so someone could understand it. I'm afraid it's something I can't put into words. There's just this heavy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-wish-i-could-explain-it-so-someone-could-understand-it-i-m-afraid/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Moods are such an essential part of the substance of life, of one's notion of oneself, that even psychotic extremes in mood and behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/moods-are-such-an-essential-part-of-the-substance-of-life-of-one-s/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [We expect well-informed treatment for cancer or heart disease; it matters no less for depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/we-expect-well-informed-treatment-for-cancer-or-heart-disease-it/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Manic depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/manic-depression-distorts-moods-and-thoughts-incites-dreadful/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [People talk about grief as if it's kind of an unremittingly awful thing, and it is. It is painful, but it's a very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/people-talk-about-grief-as-if-it-s-kind-of-an-unremittingly-awful/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) [Explore all 205 Kay Redfield Jamison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) ## More Bipolar disorder quotes > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Creativity is closely associated with bipolar disorder. This condition is unique . Many famous historical figures and artists have had this. Yet they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/creativity-is-closely-associated-with-bipolar-disorder-this-condition/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [“Cincinatti was where I learned that running away from your problems has a three-month statute of limitations, a lesson I have found repeatedly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-pershall/cincinatti-was-where-i-learned-that-running-away-from-your-problems/) [Stacy Pershall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-pershall/) > [“Suddenly, I’m lighter, only half of who I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-m-mullen/suddenly-i-m-lighter-only-half-of-who-i-was/) [Shannon M Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-m-mullen/) > [“The longer we spent on Tarawa the more Sylvia and I came to realize that to live on Tarawa is to experience a visceral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/the-longer-we-spent-on-tarawa-the-more-sylvia-and-i-came-to-realize/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [I was hoping that I could say stuff about mental illness that maybe people didn't know. You know, speak up for bipolar disorder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-millegan/i-was-hoping-that-i-could-say-stuff-about-mental-illness-that-maybe/) [Eric Millegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-millegan/) > [“I have never seen battles quite as terrifyingly beautiful as the ones I fight when my mind splinters and races, to swallow me into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-lyons/i-have-never-seen-battles-quite-as-terrifyingly-beautiful-as-the-ones/) [Nicole Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-lyons/) > [When I harnessed its seemingly uncontrollable might, I realized bipolar disorder's powers could be used for good. My diagnosis didn't have to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/when-i-harnessed-its-seemingly-uncontrollable-might-i-realized/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) > [“James had taken his own life, but the need to do so was not something easily explained. He had the life he wanted: money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-butler/james-had-taken-his-own-life-but-the-need-to-do-so-was-not-something/) [Hazel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-butler/) > [“Unrequited love is the only emotion that allows sane people to taste the “life sentence” of someone with bipolar disorder. The longer they hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/unrequited-love-is-the-only-emotion-that-allows-sane-people-to-taste/) [Shannon L. 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In time I learned that this was one symptom of what therapists formerly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-kahn/worse-roger-erupted-into-outbursts-of-uncontrollable-rage-without/) [Roger Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-kahn/) > [“Bipolar illness, manic depression, manic-depressive illness, manic-depressive psychosis. That’s a nice way of saying you will feel so high that no street drug can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-f-anderson/bipolar-illness-manic-depression-manic-depressive-illness-manic/) Christine F. Anderson > [“Even though I'm sleeping again, everything still feels a little rickety, like I'm here but not quite here, like I'm just a stand-in for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/even-though-i-m-sleeping-again-everything-still-feels-a-little/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) [Browse all 139 Bipolar disorder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar-disorder/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I occasionally laugh and tell him that his imperturbability is worth three hundred milligrams of lithium a day to me, and it is probably true.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kay Redfield Jamison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-his-imperturbability-is-worth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bipolar disorder" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-his-imperturbability-is-worth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_bipolar-disorder_i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-h_623929.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I occasionally laugh and tell him that his imperturbability is worth three hundred milligrams of lithium a…” — Kay Redfield Jamison", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kay Redfield Jamison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I occasionally laugh and tell him...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-his-imperturbability-is-worth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-occasionally-laugh-and-tell-him-that-his-imperturbability-is-worth/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```